Fortner Automotive Company
Fortner Automotive Company '''(commonly referred as '''FAC '''or '''Fortner) is an American automobile manufacturer. The main headquarters are in Missoula, Montana, and the company builds a wide range of vehicles from sports cars to fire and rescue equipment. It is the largest manufacturer in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1938 by Arthur G. Fortner, his vision was to build a durable, long lasting vehicle that could withstand the rough gravel roads of Montana. He co-owned Universal Rubber Company (URUCO for short) to create denser tires to uphold the muddy conditions. It celebrated it's 75th anniversary in 2013. Motorsports FAC's iconic and legendary race team, Fortner Motorsports, is the leading innovator of high-quality stock cars, GT touring cars, and drag racing cars. Fortner Motorsports also manufacturers high-performance consumer crate engines for some of Fortner's most popular models, including the legendary FS260 ZR, GS800-R and C-Series pickups. 'Early days of racing' When racing was in its infancy, people from the eastern regions of the United States were out "moonshining", a practice known then to have been dangerous, illegal, but very profitable. It was the period after World War II when Fortner first entered motorsports. It was in 1946 that Fortner began full-time stock car racing. Since the start of World War II, the sanctioning body, the Intercontinental Motor Sports of America, only allowed 1938 models to compete, due to the shortage of steel and iron and the fact that it was a much needed commodity for the manufacturing of warships and aircraft carriers. Finally, in 1947, IMSA allowed 1947 models with full metal bodies after a period when the 1939-1945 models were normally fit with wooden elements because of the steel and iron needed for the NAVY and Air Force. But, IMSA, and top manufacturers like Fortner were able to find an alloy that was not a military necessity. Aluminum. Real quality aluminum was available only in select markets throughout World War II, but became more accessible afterward. This allowed teams to build full bodies because of damage to the wood frame if two or more cars were involved in a collision, thus exposing the driver to a higher risk of injury or death. Thus, between 1940 and 1946, cars were allowed to be built with aluminum rather than steel due to its high demand for warships and aircraft. 'Fortner's glory days' As stock car racing evolved, Fortner Motorsports became the flagship factory team for Fortner Automotive Company. Teams rolled in with Fortner SR3400 cab-over trucks hooked with a 48 to 53 foot van trailer with a low-boy frame to place the team inside, the needed equipment for the race weekend, including shocks, extra tires, and so on, along with an upper deck to place the race cars in, particularly two, one primary and one secondary. Like that of the NBA's Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers as the two powerhouse teams, Fortner Motorsports became a powerhouse team and the technology from the track led to the showroom. As champion of over 15 IMSA national titles stemming from the 1970's, Fortner Motorsports continues as the innovator of not only performance, but also safety, including the introduction of the Generation Six Car of Today (G6-COT), which brings showroom-like elements to the racecar, and allows better protection in side-impact collisions with the introduction of crush panels, which is a steel and foam energy resistance structure designed to minimize the centrifugual forces usually induced with a normal car equipped with airbags. It is known as the "SAFER barrier of race cars" because of the technology of this kind applied to the outter wall of a race track not allowing cars to impact the concrete portion. The innovative technology of the SAFER barrier led to better chassis structure in Fortner's showroom vehicles. Medium to heavy duty commercial vehicles Through its partner, American Commercial, Fortner entered a joint venture to form Fortner-American as an expansion of Fortner Automotive Company's growing portfolio. Fortner-American manufacturers medium to heavy duty commercial vehicles including cargo trailers, buses, and medium to heavy duty mobile cranes. Gallery FortnerPromotionalModels (14).jpg|2010 model year Z48 (left) and FS260 ZR (right) prior to the introduction of the G6-COT in IMSA competition 63 Render 2.jpg|1967 G-series (GX330), based on the real Pontiac Bonneville FortnerPromotionalModels (12b).jpg|1984-1991 model year GS-series (GS90), based roughly on the real Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2 FortnerPromotionalModels (7).jpg|2005-2008 model year C-Series race truck prototype 1966_fortner_tracker_k10.png|1966 Fortner Tracker K Series - first early sport utility vehicle 1974_fortner_sr3400_dually.png|1974 Fortner SR Series medium duty cab-over dually - mounted with Addison AR550 diesel (based on the real Detroit Diesel 653T series) 2014_fortner_c5500_comanche_series.png|2014 Fortner C-Series diesel (C5500 Comanche) - relatively based on the late-model GMC Topkicks and Brigadiers) 2014_fortner-american_c82_bighorn_grumman_bus.png|2014 Fortner-American C8 Series (C82 Bighorn) built with a Grumman school bus body (this design is based on the real Grumman medium duty utility/cargo van bodies) 2014_fortner-american_cj4500.png|2014 Fortner-American CJ Series (CJ4500) school bus 2014_fortner_optimus_4x4.png|Fortner's newest 4x4 utility vehicle, the Fortner Optimus is the most fuel efficient 4x4 utility. There are offroad versions and larger sized Optimus cargo vans available as well. 2014_fortner_tracker.png|Fortner's legendary Tracker returns in 2014 with newer options including Slantback, Panel, Extended Cab and Crew Cab. 2014_fortner_american_sr7500.png|The SR series returned to the medium to heavy duty truck lineup in 2007 starting with the 5500 series. Shown is the SR7500, a 4-door forward crew cab competing against Mitsubishi and GM's NPR forward cabs. 2014_fortner-american_lc245-7000_series.png|This is the newest cab-over from Fortner-American, the LC Series. It is made to compete against European, Asian, and Australian market cab-overs including Mercedes, MAN, Peugeot, Renault, SAAB SCANIA and more